Town Square

'Noon ride' of cyclists stop for safety clinic

About 75 cyclists on the well-known "noon ride" voluntarily stopped their lunchtime workout on Jan. 23 in Portola Valley to hear a brief tutorial on "how to ride bicycles safely in the presence of horses, and of horse trailers."

Posted by Jerome Leugers
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Feb 17, 2014 at 1:33 pm

Since i've been living in Pennsylvania in a very "horse-centric" community I have been educated by the other members of the cycling community. If the horse and rider are near the road, we stop and ask if we can proceed or would they prefer to ride past our group while we wait. We encounter a lot more horses than I have ever seen in Woodside; it's common courtesy and a safety issue for the equestrians., many of whom are professional trainers.

I hope the safety tips given cyclists included the strong recommendation to have both forward a rear facing flashing lights on their bikes. I'm amazed at how many cyclists I see riding without lights, naively trusting that motorists will see them, even when they wear dark clothing and ride at dusk. It's a crazy chance to take with potentially fatal consequences.

Posted by john
a resident of Woodside: other
on Feb 19, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Answer to 25MH limit for cars when passing horses? In cars, it's "easier" to slow down even more since the power comes from gasoline, and a car driver can easily hit the gas pedal again. Same advice: slow down to under 25MPH, don't surprise 'em, and give the horse a wide berth. If the car is going slow on the opposite side of the road, the horse doesn't interpret it as a predator. If the vehicle/cyclist/runner approaches the horse at speeds the horse cannot outrun, and the vehicle is on a path directly approaching the horse, it will become nervous: the only question is how nervous?

Posted by john
a resident of Woodside: other
on Feb 19, 2014 at 8:46 pm

Answer to we recommend lights for cyclists year round? Yes! Too many cyclists are injured or killed regionally, due to car drivers saying "I didn't see them" or "I underestimated how fast they were going, so when I turned left in front of them, I was surprised that they smashed into my car/truck".

Posted by John
a resident of Woodside: other
on Feb 19, 2014 at 8:51 pm

Reply to Pennsylvania poster: I wish both groups could be so respectful and polite. Most are, but some are not. Happy to listen to your ideas on how to get both groups to be more polite and considerate, to all road users.

Too many cyclists have strobe lights or helmet lights which are in violation of the vehicle code, and can temporarily blind a motorist proceeding in the opposite direction. Safety first...some roads should simply be off limits to bicyclists. Cyclists have rights...too many are dead right.

Posted by Donald
a resident of another community
on Feb 20, 2014 at 2:48 pm

Flashing white lights for bicyclists are not a violation of the CVC, as far as I know. Can you cite a section that prohibits them? CVC 21201.3 prohibits the use of flashing blue lights on bicycles except by peace officers. CVC Sections 25250 through 25282 deal with flashing lights on vehicles but do not apply to bicycles because these sections are in Division 12.

670. A "vehicle" is a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.Web Link

Posted by Donald
a resident of another community
on Feb 20, 2014 at 4:11 pm

Yes, a bicycle is not a vehicle. Operators of bicycles are given all the rights and responsibilities of the operators of vehicles (not motor vehicles) under Division 11 (rules of the road) of the CVC. Note that this applies to the operators, not the equipment. Some people mistakenly generalize this and think that bicyclists and vehicle operators (or bicycles and vehicles) are treated identically in all respects.

The hardest thing for bicyclists is to get drivers to see them. I laugh when I see them criticized for wearing brightly-colored outfits or using flashing lights. Ride a mile in their cleats before you level such criticism.

Don't miss out on the discussion!Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.

Email:

Post a comment

Posting an item on Town Square is simple and requires no registration. Just complete this form and hit "submit" and your topic will appear online.
Please be respectful and truthful in your postings so Town Square will continue to be a thoughtful gathering place for sharing community information
and opinion. All postings are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate by our staff.

We prefer that you use your real name, but you may use any "member" name you wish.